Presented by McDonald's: Obama pushes health care with nurses in rose garden and one-on-ones with physician-correspondents, while DNC takes to airwaves in home states of swing senatorsBy:
MIKE ALLEN
on July 15, 2009 @ 7:40 AM

BIRTHDAYS: Arianna Huffington … Jeremy Bird, deputy director of Organizing for American and said to be the only community organizer who is the subject of a Facebook fan group other than Barack Obama … Campbell Roth … Jim Merrill.

Good Wednesday morning. POLITICO’s Carol E. Lee was the pooler when Willie Mays, perhaps the greatest all-around baseball player of all time, came back on Air Force One on the way to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in St. Louis yesterday: Wearing a Giants baseball cap during his first flight on Air Force One, Mays — who played in 24 All-Star games — spoke emotionally about POTUS’s election. Mays said that on election night in Chicago, he cried for most of the night and, filled with pride, stayed up until 7 or 8 in the morning. “I reminded him that I dreamed about this day,” Mays said when asked what he and POTUS had been talking about. “Not being on Air Force One, but dreamed about someone in my race being president. Not knowing that anyone would be. But I reminded him that I cried for most of the night in Chicago.” “Election night?” a reporter asked. Mays said yes and continued, “Stayed up all night. I went to sleep about 7, maybe 8 in the morning, I was so proud. So that tells me all the things I went through it was for good things. So I’m just proud of him, you know. He may be proud of something else. But I’m proud of him, what he stands for.” Mays said that he gave POTUS just one tip for his first pitch as president: “Follow through.”

AP Baseball Writer Ben Walker: “Biting his lip for a little extra zip, he fulfilled his modest goal: Flinging the ceremonial first ball to the plate on the fly. … St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols helped out the president, moving up to scoop the low toss before it hit the dirt. TV viewers initially wondered whether the presidential pitch skipped. The FOX television angle cut off Pujols' catch, and many people at Busch Stadium weren't completely sure. When Obama later visited the broadcast booth, a replay from the center-field camera showed the ball made it home.”

DONNING A HEADSET for his stop by the broadcast booth in the bottom of the second, Obama said of his White Sox jacket: “Everybody knows I’m a White Sox fan. And my wife thinks I look cute in this jacket. So between those two things, why not? … I’m not a Cubs HATER. … I just don’t root for ‘em — that’s all. … I did not play organized baseball when I was a kid. And so I think some of these natural moves aren’t so natural to me."

OBAMA, ON WHO’S GOING TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES: “It’s a little early. I tend to try to use a little more information. I tell you what, though. What’s been interesting about baseball this year — other than the Dodgers, who’ve been playing terrific ball, is there’s a lot of parity, which I think is terrific. Because it means everybody around the country has a little bit of hope for their team. They’re thinking that maybe — maybe the exception might be the Nationals, who are still young, just have a new ballpark. … I’m trying to be encouraging to the country and to baseball fans everywhere.”

Presented by McDonald's: Obama pushes health care with nurses in rose garden and one-on-ones with physician-correspondents, while DNC takes to airwaves in home states of swing senators

BORN THIS MORNING TO ALI AND JON WARD — a little sister for Jeth: "Gwen has arrived — 7lbs, 3 oz, 20 inches — healthy at 5:59 am. She arrived as the sun came over the horizon. It was a very smooth delivery! Glory to a merciful God. We are so grateful."

HEALTH CARE HARDBALL — The DNC’s Organizing for America today is announcing a TV ad pushing health-care reform airing in home states of swing senators: Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio. The ad, called “It’s Time,” features sad testimonials from real people. The close: “It's time for health care reform. Call your senators: (202) 224-3121.” A national version will run on cable networks and in D.C., ending: “It's time for health care reform. Join the fight: healthcare.barackobama.com.” YouTubes here and here.

DR. OBAMA TO THE RESCUE — The president will speak on health-care reform in the Rose Garden at 1:05 p.m., surrounded by representatives of the AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION, showing its strong support for health reform. Also today, he’s doing one-on-ones at the White House today with the three NETWORK correspondent-physicians: CBS’s Dr. Jon LaPook, ABC’s Dr. Timothy Johnson and NBC’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

NEW TARGET — Three Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee — Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), Robert Menendez (N.J.), and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) — today are announcing an aggressive push to make HEALTH INSURES absorb AS MUCH AS $100 BILLION of the cost of reform. The idea has been kicking around quietly in meetings, and insurers are on a list of potential targets that have been floating around. But Schumer, one of the senior Democratic voices at the Capitol, is going at them head-on. A top Senate Democratic aide: “If we really want to have a breakthrough to make it possible to pass this, we should go after these guys in terms of defraying the cost of the bill.” The structure has not been set, but top possibilities include a fee based on their market share and what the aide calls “a flat percentage of their profits — basically a windfall-profits tax, like people propose on the oil industry, for health-care insurance.” Per the aide, this could raise “close to $100 million if you did it in a very aggressive way.”

THE INDUSTRY IS NEGOTIATING AND SOUNDS WILLING TO MAKE CONCESSIONS, BUT NOT AT THE LEVEL IMAGINED BY SENATE DEMOCRATS. An industry source: “I know they’re looking for money — there’s no question about that. … There are some other things that can be done. We continue to talk to them. WE’RE GOING TO TRY TO HELP, BUT IT HAS TO BE RATIONAL.”

E-MAIL OF THE DAY — AN AMUSED REPUBLICAN WRITES: “Interesting that all the people who have been ‘at the table’ are getting whacked. How long before they start pushing away from the table and start throwing food?”

REP. GEORGE MILLER (D-Calif.), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, uses a POLITICO op-ed to unveil legislation he will introduce today that aligns with Obama’s budget proposal to cut private lenders out of the student loan system and use the savings (about $87 billion over 10 years) to fund the president’s education priorities, including his community college proposal: “[T]his bill will help build a sound fiscal future for our children by also returning $10 billion to pay down our deficit. Every parent hopes their children can receive the best education possible without being crippled by debt. The way to give the next generation a greater chance of achieving that dream is by transforming our financial aid system from one that benefits banks over students into one that makes paying for college a better deal for families and taxpayers.”

MICROSOFT’S LEGENDARY JACK KRUMHOLTZ STARTED AT GLOVER PARK GROUP THIS WEEK — Glover Park Group announced that Jack Krumholtz, a ground-breaking leader in government affairs and corporate reputation management, has joined the firm as a Managing Director in its Government Relations practice. Krumholtz founded, built, and led Microsoft’s Federal Government Affairs office for 14 years, serving as Managing Director and Associate General Counsel of the software giant. Prior to his work with Microsoft, Krumholtz practiced legislative affairs at Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson, and Hand in Washington, D.C.

GATES IN CHICAGO TOMORROW — As Congress continues to debate the FY2010 defense budget, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will travel to President Obama's hometown to address the Economic Club of Chicago. In a speech to hundreds of executives — including many from the defense industry — he will continue to make the case for fundamentally reshaping the Pentagon budget and reforming the way the military does business. The goal of the president's budget, he will explain, is not just to change the weapons we buy, but how we buy them: to ensure that we win the wars we are waging and prepare for the wars of tomorrow rather than continue to rearm for previous ones. Secretary Gates will argue that business as usual when it comes to defense spending and buying weapons — from the F-22 to missile defense — simply will not do.

AS REPUBLICANS GAIN TRACTION WITH THEIR ASSAULTS ON THE STIMULUS, THE ADMINISTRATION IS STEPPING UP ITS DEFENSE. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will speak at noon today to the Center for National Policy in D.C.: “I’m confident that five years from now, when we look back on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we will recognize that the investments we made in infrastructure, energy conservation, education, and other vital needs marked a turning point.”

“TRANSPORTATION IS YOUR BUSINESS” — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches a lobbying campaign today to tell Congress that now is the time to invest in the nation’s transportation systems. The House plans to mark-up the Highway bill today in an effort to pass the measure before the August recess and avoid putting needed infrastructure projects on hold. More than 100 business leaders from 28 states will head to the Hill as a part of a comprehensive advertising, grassroots, and lobbying campaign in support of SAFETEA-LU reauthorization. Inside the Beltway, the ad campaign appears on buses, billboards, and Metro.

IF YOU’RE ON THE HILL — UnitedHealth Group and Cisco unveil a “TeleHealth” initiative on Capitol Hill. The all-day event features a live demonstration of new technology that will dramatically enhance the way patients and physicians interact. UnitedHealth Group will also announce a partnership with Project HOPE, the international health education and humanitarian assistance organization, as one of the first organizations using the new technology for a program targeting the chronically ill in New Mexico.

LIVE WEB CHAT — BROOKINGS: Since his election, President Barack Obama has been courting nations in Latin America, pledging an “equal partnership” on issues such as the global economic crisis, energy and climate change and public safety. Brookings expert Mauricio Cárdenas, director of the Latin America Initiative at Brookings, and Fred Barbash, senior editor of POLITICO, will take questions about U.S.-Latin America relations in this edition of the Scouting Report. Join the discussion live at 12:30 p.m. today on the Arena, register on Brookings.edu, or send advance questions to ScoutingReport@brookings.edu.

— MAUREEN DOWD, “White Man’s Last Stand: Wearing chili red, Sonia stays cool as a cucumber”: “Like the president who picked her, Sotomayor has been a model of professorial rationality. Besides, it’s delicious watching Republicans go after Democrats for being too emotional and irrational given the G.O.P. shame spiral.”

— THE WHITE HOUSE VIEW: “Yesterday, Judge Sotomayor told the Senate Judiciary Committee about her 17 year approach to judging – fidelity to the law. Today, she demonstrated it. Throughout tough questioning today, and on case after case, Judge Sotomayor demonstrated that she follows the rule of law -- including on gun rights (Maloney), property rights (Didden), and employment discrimination (Ricci).This approach, demonstrated by more than three thousand cases on the district and appellate courts, reveals a judge who narrowly applies the law and precedent to the facts of each case.”

— Fox News’ Juan Williams, on “Special Report”: “She came out of this thing pretty roughed up, and she has a lot of cuts on her after the first round.”

— MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow: “We begin tonight with what is starting to feel like the Jeff Sessions show -- even though it’s supposed to be the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. In the absence of any real drama, suspense, about whether or not Judge Sotomayor will actually be confirmed to the Supreme Court — it sort of seems like an unavoidable conclusion that she will -- the hearings are instead turning into a showcase for the Senate, rather than a showcase for her. The Republican opposition to Judge Sotomayor is still steering largely clear of her judicial record, except for one case, Republicans have characterized as a pro-affirmative action ruling and they’re criticizing that one a lot. Beyond that, the opening statements and questions from the committee, seven Republicans, and particularly from their leader, Jeff Sessions, have been much more revealing of the political beliefs of Republican senators than they have been of the judicial beliefs or temperament of this nominee.”

— CNN’s John King says White House eyeing HATCH, LINDSEY GRAHAM and GRASSLEY: “They go into this, the White House, preparing potentially for a party line vote, and that would be enough. There are 12 Democrats on the committee, and they believe they will get all 12 of those votes and send Judge Sotomayor to the floor with the support of the committee. But they do think it's possible, and, of course, they would prefer some bipartisan support. … Democrats don't need any Republican votes, but they think it would send a big signal to the full Senate, Wolf, if they could get two or three. And those are the ones they think are good possibilities.”

SPOTTED, per WashPost’s “Reliable Source”: “Michelle Obama walking into Acadiana yesterday -- hair up, sleeveless scoop-neck dress -- and straight into a private dining room, where she lunched with two other women.”

AZ, NV, TX, FL, GA COULD GAIN HOUSE SEATS — L.A. Times, “California could lose a House seat after 2010 census .. Here's yet another result of the bad economy: California's congressional delegation is unlikely to grow and could even lose a seat after next year's census for the first time since stagecoach days. … The delegation has grown every time Congress has reapportioned House seats to reflect population changes. The state gained nine seats — the most ever — after the 1930 census, seven after 1950, eight after 1960, seven after 1990 and one after the 2000 count. The delegation now stands at 53, the largest of any state. California neighbors Arizona and Nevada are expected to gain seats, as are Texas, Florida and Georgia. Texas alone could pick up as many as four. Michigan and Ohio, hard hit by the recession, are among the states expected to lose seats.”

POOL REPORT — Tina Brown and Harry Evans hosted a book party for Gov. Howard Dean last night. Dean was in New York for his first meeting as chairman of the Progressive Book Club. Spotted: Robert Morganthau , Katrina vanden Heuval, Charles Nolan, Jeff Greenfield, Dominick Dunne, Andy Borowitz, David Brock, Mark Green and Ed Schultz.

Dear Barack Obama, Why can't Karl get affordable health care? because I do not want to "afford" $450.00 per month. I would afford $200 per month and my small business owner boss would afford me $200 per month but he can not seem to get above the 5 employee "minimum". It seems so simple to me but then everything IS so simple until all you "people" in washington get in your own way and complicate everything. What will happen to this hard working, Honest tax paying citizen of this Great Country when your Congress screws this up beyond repair?? 2010 will be a lucky number for my Income level ...........

The nicest thing to be said of the Obama 'health reform' is that it mimics the government subsidy of the vicious HMO insurance cartels pioneered in Mass. by Mitt Romney! All those Goldman Sachs campaign contributions to Obama have come home to roost. The president and his advisers ghoulish emphasis on "saving money during the last year of life," smacks of Euthanasia. The $ 950 Billion cuts they propose to Medicare/Medicaid payments to hospitals will DENY care based on age and income. There is a difference between "universal health-care" and a universal subsidy of the HMO insurance cartel.

In order to save on health care costs and to save other government programs, the Obama Administration has begun offering the public health care option via the following new health care delivery methods: * All Primary Care Physicians will be offering care and treatment at every local US Post Office in order to better support Postal Reform. Postal delivery on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Medical care on Tuesdays and Thursdays; no Tuesday care if Monday is a Federal Holiday. * All recently closed auto factories of Chrysler and GN will be converted into Health Care Surgerical Assembly operations for assembly line type healh services, with separate assembly departments for: Waiting Line for Waiting Line, Triage, Intake/1040-type form, Waiting Line, Government Assessment, Waiting Line, Prioritization, Stamping, Waiting Line, Fluids Flush, Waiting Line, Body Work, Test Walk, Waiting Line, New Fluids Insertion, Collection of Large Co-pays * All Medical transportation from one smaller medical assembly plant to a more specialized medical assembly plant will be offloaded to Amtrak. All non-ICU patients will be offered coach service without specialized medical assistance. All ICU patients will be transported in Stimulus funded, newly refurnished Amtrack high speed Mail Cars, recently purchased on eBay from the former USSRs Trans-Siberian Socialist Medical Mail Car stock. (USSR-TRS-MMC) * Consumer financing for the enormous co-pays, out of network payments, cost of all specialized tests, cost all overnight hospital stays, and Amtrack transportation will be available through a government-run Fannie/Freddie funding pool (FFFP), financed by consumer taxes, business taxes, soda taxes, haircut and nail taxes, internet taxes, breath taxes, personal co2 emissions taxes, public restroom stall taxes, Fox Channel viewing taxes, death taxes, life after death taxes (pre-dated and payable before death). * All new doctors will be government employees, that will be eligible for repayment of government education loans after at least 20 years of service in the Postal Medical Offices (PMO's), and 10 years service in Soviet style Amtrack Postal Mail ICU Service cars. * All Government Run Universal Wellness and Preventation Act programs will feature the more popular programs such as forced marches once a week, polar swim once a month, daily 10 mile walk to work, manditory cap and trade for personal co2 emissions, no sugar, no bacon, no smokes, no drink, no running, non-co2 breathing, no BO, no iceberg lettuce, no racing, no red meat, no fries, no potatoes, no milk shakes, no fun, no hetero sex, and no internet.